THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
Photograph by Branson De Cou
CARACALLA, WHO BATHED ROME IN BLOOD, BUILT SUMPTUOUS PUBLIC BATHS
The extravagant emperor once ordered the mass murder of 20,000 supporters of a civil enemy.
Elegant mosaic floors contrast with denuded brick walls of the once-luxurious halls that contained
marble seats for 1,600 Roman bathers, anointing and massaging chambers, sweat baths, hot and cold
plunges, and rubdown rooms. Marble wall facings, colonnades, sculptures, and frescoes have
mostly been stolen, destroyed, or removed to museums.
who had under him three thousand cus
todians of peace, and order was organized
in military fashion. In time of need these
could be reinforced by the regular militia.
Thus it was that public disturbances
at time of elections and disorderly demon
strations at festivals were, if not totally
suppressed, rare incidents.
Up to Augustus' time no regular and ade
quate provision had been made for the ex
tinction of fires in Rome. Considering the
wooden tenements in the irregular narrow
streets and alleys, a city conflagration was
ever imminent. To obviate this he organ
ized a brigade of 3,500 firemen and ap
pointed a permanent commissioner at their
head. A special corps of firemen was as
signed to each of the fourteen districts he
had mapped out for the city.
However, Augustus was faced by both an
excess and a deficiency of water. The
recurrent floods of the Tiber caused untold
suffering and did much damage, though
widening the bed of the river brought at
least a partial solution. Distribution of
water presented a more serious difficulty,
and to take charge of it Augustus appointed
a curator of water supply who had a tech
nical, publicly paid staff of 240 slaves.
Moreover, the ruler erected a magnifi
cent bathing establishment such as only the
Romans knew how to achieve. As we leave
the Pantheon, we find behind a huge struc
ture some detached fragments of these
baths which are called after Agrippa; they
show part of a great hall which seems to
have been the tepidarium.
"SO
NOBLE A LADY"
These relics are completely overshadowed
by the interesting and extensive ruins of the
baths of Marcus Aurelius, who was nick
named Caracalla.
Under this imperial
sobriquet they have always been known.
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